Today Was A Good Day
by Siancore
Summary: This is an AU set in King County; Michonne is a high school teacher and Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes has been invited to be a guest at the school's Careers Expo. How will their paths cross and what will happen? Dedicated to my fellow teachers who might be having a rough day!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is an AU set in King County; Michonne is a high school teacher and Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes has been invited to be a guest at the school's Careers Expo. How will their paths cross and what will happen?

A bit of fluffy fun for us to help deal with the hiatus.

Dedicated to my fellow teachers who might be having a rough day. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead

Rated M for language and adult situations

* * *

"We didn't even want her to take this class," said Mr Grayling as he looked over at his wife.

"That's right. She's gonna go ahead and be a nurse like me," his wife added. "She don't need to take no psychology class for that, so if she needs to drop it, we're just wonderin' is it too late now?"

Michonne took a deep breath, placed her pen down on the desk where she rested her elbows and leaned her chin on her hands.

"Mr and Mrs Grayling, Donna is actually doin' pretty well in this class. I've called y'all in today to talk to you about her taking extensions as she's been excelling with the standard curriculum. Mrs Grayling, having taken some psych courses can help if she wants to be a nurse practitioner after completing her nursing degree. I've spoken to her about it a little, but wanted to let you all know as well."

"Oh, really?" Asked Mr Grayling. "That's actually great news."

"Yes, it is. I've been working with her for the better part of a semester now, and I know that she has a promising future ahead of her. You've got a good kid who's willing to give it a go," Michonne said.

The couple seated before her smiled and nodded as Michonne handed over a few pamphlets.

"Here's some more info. If you have any questions or need anything clarified, please give me a call," she proffered with a smile as she let the couple out of her office.

Michonne had been a school teacher now for almost ten years; her area of expertise was psychology and she was relatively new at the school she was presently working at, King County High School. The School Board had wanted to expand the curriculum to add a psychology course to it and when Michonne applied for the position, she was successful; she was also employed as the guidance counsellor for two days a week when she was not teaching.

Michonne needed to leave her past behind her and start fresh now that she was finally ready to move on after her messy break-up; a small town school was just what she needed and it was a bonus that her best friend Andrea Harrison worked at the school there too. She took a sip from her bottled water, checked the time on her watch and opened her top drawer. She still had fifteen minutes before her next appointment arrived so retrieved the bag of plain M&Ms she kept in there for when she had a quiet moment alone.

xXxXx

"Thanks for passin' the message on for me, Sandra. Lucky my kid saved it to my calendar in my phone or I'd have missed it again. I really shouldn't be too long, but thanks again. See ya later," said Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes as he ended the call to his workplace on his cell phone.

He had almost forgotten that he was meant to meet with his son Carl's teacher at the school. Rick had missed the last appointment because he was called away to some incident or another; he had promised both his son and his son's teacher that he would make it this time. The squad car came to a halt at the front of the school as Rick checked his watch once more before hurriedly making his way towards the reception area. He noticed a car parked illegally that would have to wait for his return before he could write up the ticket.

xXxXx

Michonne quickly closed her drawer to hide the M&Ms as she heard the light tapping on her door; through the small, square window that was high, but not high enough that she could not see that it was her next parent. She took another sip of her water and called out: "Come on in."

She stood and held her hand out to greet the parent who was standing before her; he looked at her hand and did not shake it as he took a seat without being offered. Michonne cleared her throat.

"Hello, Mr Dixon. How are you?" she said with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

She did not enjoy having to talk to Merle Dixon; he was not particularly pleasant at the best of times on account of his awful attitude that was amplified by his documented substance misuse, and Michonne had a feeling that he had some backwards, racist views that he harboured. She eyed him as he slouched in the chair in front of her desk.

"I been better," he replied with a look of contempt. "What you call me down her for?"

Michonne discreetly took a deep breath, feeling her face already grow warm knowing he was probably going to be as uncooperative as he usually was.

"I wanted to talk to you about Jase," Michonne explained, referring to Dixon's sixteen year old son.

"What about him?" Dixon asked as he sat up straighter; his eyes narrow.

"I'm just worried about him because…"

"You don't need to be worried about him. Ain't nothin' wrong with my boy," he spat.

"Mr Dixon, I know there's nothing wrong with Jase, but it _is_ my job to worry; he hasn't expressed any interest in setting out a learning plan or any career pathways goals. He doesn't seem to be interested in his future or what he can do after he finishes high school."

Michonne tried to speak as evenly and calmly as she could. Her friend from college and fellow teacher Andrea, who had been filling the position until Michonne arrived, had told her about some of the more difficult parents she would be dealing with. It was common knowledge that Merle Dixon was trouble while his son Jase was mostly a withdrawn and unenthusiastic student. All Michonne wanted was for all of her students to be afforded the best opportunities and Jase was no different.

"Well, Missy; have you looked 'round this shit hole lately? Ain't really that much for the kids to be doin'. I know you like to sit there and act like you know what's best for my kid, but you don't. You're just another uppity teacher from the city who think their shit don't stink…"

"Excuse me? Mr Dixon, can you please not use that type of language…"

"The fuck? You don't tell me what to do! I ain't one of these fuckin' teenagers here who gotta raise my hand to talk!" Said Dixon as his voice rose and he stood from his seat.

xXxXx

"Thanks for comin' down, Deputy Grimes," Andrea said. "I'm glad we got this sorted out. Carl's a good kid and I think he can really go far with his writing."

Rick nodded his head and smiled a little at Andrea.

"Thanks for takin' the time to see me," he said coyly as the two of them walked the hallway.

"Oh, no; thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I'm just glad we finally got to have the meeting. You know, you should come along to the Careers Expo next week. It'd be great to see you again." She said flirtatiously as they both stopped walking.

"I won't be able to, way too busy next week, but thanks for the offer," Rick said.

Andrea went to speak when suddenly the sound of a man's voice boomed from behind one of the closed doors. He sounded angry as he shouted profanities; Rick looked at Andrea who seemed overly concerned as her eyes grew wide.

"Shit! Michonne!" She said as she rushed towards the door and pushed it open.

Michonne's head turned quickly as her friend and a police officer stood in her doorway while Merle Dixon was curled up on her floor surrounded by a bunch of pens and pencils and in the foetal position, holding his crotch.

"What happened?" Andrea asked as she stepped over the whimpering man and drew Michonne into a hug.

"He…ah, he was getting loud and I asked him to leave. He knocked my pencil holder over so I went for the door and he tried to grab me. So I kicked him in the balls," Michonne explained shakily as she looked at the police officer.

"Shit. Am I in trouble? I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

xXxXx

Michonne postponed her other appointments for the day while she finished up talking to her principal as well as her union representative. They had supported her and her official incident report that stated she was acting in self-defence when she struck Merle Dixon, a parent of one of her students. Deputy Grimes had escorted him from the premises whereby his partner Deputy Shane Walsh had taken the parent to the station; neither he nor Michonne were going to be pressing charges. She just wanted the whole nightmare of a day to be finished as she stayed back to get the paperwork in to her superiors. She sighed as she had a sad feeling that she was not going to get the chance to work with Jase anymore; Michonne just wanted to cry; she took another handful of M&Ms and shoved them into her mouth.

"Hey, girl. You nearly ready?" Asked Andrea as she stuck her head around the door.

"You didn't have to wait for me," she offered with a smile.

"I wasn't gonna let you walk to the parking lot on your own, especially since that psycho isn't locked up," Andrea said as Michonne locked the door to her office and they walked down the corridor.

"How do you know that?" Michonne queried.

Andrea smiled.

"Let's just say I checked with that hot ass cop and single daddy Rick Grimes what was happening," Andrea smirked.

"You have no shame!" Michonne laughed. "Using me assaulting that asshole to get that Deputy's number."

"Firstly, you did _not_ assault that prick, he tried to attack you; secondly, he offered his cell number; and thirdly, I may have said you were a little nervous to leave from here on your own tonight, so Deputy Sexy Pants might be waiting outside for us. Oh, would you look at that; he sent a text. He is waiting outside."

"Andrea! That is blatant misuse of the County's resources having that man come back here!" Michonne said incredulously. "And, excuse me, but aren't you seeing a certain someone from the science department?"

Andrea shrugged.

"Yeah, I am and Eugene and I are having a great time so don't go gettin' the wrong idea about this; besides, I think Deputy Stud Muffin likes you!" Andrea wriggled her eyes brows.

"Oh please!" Said Michonne, though she could not hide her small smile.

"You know it's true!" Andrea exclaimed.

"He was just taking my statement," Michonne said.

"He didn't need to be all gentle and rubbing your arm and trying to calm you down and all that; giving you fuckin' heart eyes and shit! He wants it! You should ask him out!" Andrea suggested.

"I am not tryin' to get involved with no single daddy of one of our students, thank you!"

"Whatever! Why you got your happy face on then, uh?" Andrea teased as they both burst out laughing.

"Good evenin', ladies," greeted Rick as he tipped his hat to Michonne and Andrea.

Andrea nodded and Michonne offered a sweet: "Hello."

She then added: "You didn't need to come all the way back over here, Deputy. My friend here was just being over cautious."

Rick smiled as he held the door open for both women.

"No trouble at all, ma'am. I'm happy to help however I can," he said with a crooked grin that Michonne found to be adorable.

Andrea drew Michonne into a hug and said: "I'll call you later, gotta go. I parked out front…"

"Yeah, where you're not supposed to," Michonne laughed.

"Hey, hush now; not in front of the law man. I wouldn't want a ticket. See you guys later," said Andrea as she sprinted over to her car.

"Uh, maybe we should walk quickly," Rick said as he glanced over at the blonde woman.

"Why?" Asked Michonne, slightly confused.

"Ah, I did leave a ticket on her car," Rick said, causing the attractive woman next to him to burst out in laughter.

He marvelled at the way her smile lit up her whole face.

"Serves her right for parking in the emergency vehicle zone!"

xXxXx

Michonne placed the key into her front door, switched on her light and then gestured for Rick to enter.

"You really don't have to do this, Deputy." She said as she watched him step inside.

"It's fine. Best to check the area in case Dixon got some funny ideas. Which way to your back door? I'll check it over," Rick said as he placed his hands in his pocket.

The fact was, he did not really have to do that for Michonne, but there was something about her that he could not help but want to protect her. It seemed odd, but he could not help how he felt. Michonne showed him through her kitchen and into her laundry room. Rick checked the door over and then they walked back to the living room.

"Honestly, you don't think he's gonna do something, do you Deputy?" Michonne asked, looking a little worried.

Rick could sense the change in her as he stepped closer.

"Please, call me Rick. And honestly, I don't know. You can never tell when people are on those types of drugs; they can be unpredictable. But you just make sure if you hear or see anything to give us a call. You have my cell number, so call me direct," he said with a smile.

"Oh, I don't have _your_ number. Andrea does. I guess I could just get it from her," Michonne rambled absently while Rick took out a piece of paper and scribbled his number down.

"Here ya go, call me _anytime_. Okay?" He said with a grin as he handed over the paper; their fingers lightly touching.

Michonne smiled back at him.

"Okay. And thanks again, _Rick_."

Rick hesitantly turned to leave when Michonne asked: "Will you be available to come to the Career Expo next week? It's just that I'm organizing it and we haven't secured anyone from the Sheriff's Department yet. I mean, you don't have to if you're too busy… "

"No, that's fine. I can be there. Just text me the details and what you need me to do," Rick answered quickly.

"Thanks, Rick. That's wonderful. So, I'll, um, see you soon," Michonne said as she let him out of the front door.

"Don't mention it and yeah, I'll be seein' you," he turned and said. "Goodnight, Michonne."

"Goodnight, Rick." She replied.

When Michonne closed the door, she leaned against it and smiled widely; the day did not turn out so bad after all.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for checking this one out.

More to come!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: G'day everybody! Thanks for the fantastic responses to this story. I'm so glad people have enjoyed the first instalment and liking the lighter side of things. Thanks for the follows, dear readers.

Thanking the following for their reviews: **thelisa17; ishipwhateverthefuckiwantto; Sharei27; lacsim1978; Babe Malf; Love'Joy1990; Alex311; KK; Lyra Verse; Beautiful77; EisleyGirl, SBK (loving your lists; how cool is it when your name pops up in a fic? Mine never does haha); megs27; CherokeeRose29; ssaamm23; focusedOnProsperity; RPG Girl** ; and **Yari** (yes dude still has the mullet! Lol).

Andrea and Eugene: didn't see that one coming, right? Hahaha **KK** , about opposites attracting, when I was working in the high schools, you would _not_ believe the sneaking around that some of the staff did! People you would not even imagine being together LOL but because a lot of the time teachers didn't usually come from where they worked, the only people they got to know well were other staff (I'm using that logic here). Oh and I'm laughing at Milton v Eugene in a game of D &D!

 **focusedOnProsperity** : definitely agree with that. Majority of the students I had who people thought were 'naughty' or 'lazy' had little to no support at home.

Okay, let's get back into it. This picks up right where we left off.

* * *

Michonne sighed as she looked at the stack of exercise books that needed to be marked, as well as the remaining paperwork for guests who were to set up stalls at the Expo. Her kitchen table was covered in paper as she sat and ate her dinner, deciding that she would mark her students' work while she was in bed later that evening.

She then remembered to check her phone and smirked when she glanced at the screen. Three missed calls from Andrea and a rather animated text message which read:

 _Your bf gave me a ticket!_

With multiple sad face emoticons; twenty-seven, in fact, plus a picture of the ticket and a selfie of Andrea wearing an unhappy expression. Michonne smiled to herself, finished off the last of her salad and then called her friend.

"Um, Mich, what's Deputy Fine Ass' problem?" was Andrea's immediate question.

Michonne laughed loudly and put her friend on speaker phone while setting the device down on the tabletop.

"Guess he's just doing his job, sweetie. By the way, he had no idea it was you who was parked illegally when he gave the ticket to you," she offered as she took a drink from her orange juice.

"Well, I hope you're able to pull a favor with him," Andrea chortled.

"Now what makes you think he'd do that for me?" Michonne asked genuinely.

"Uh. Let me see. Oh _right_. The fact he was falling over himself to help you today!"

Michonne laughed again and said: "Ain't even like that."

Andrea rolled her eyes.

"I'm rolling my eyes at you right now. So, what happened after we went our separate ways?"

Michonne chuckled and then went on to explain to her friend what had transpired; which she thought was nothing too exciting.

"Ah, well; not much, actually. He just made sure to follow behind me, in case Jase's father tried anything. He came inside, checked the doors, gave me his number and went on his way."

"That is not police protocol, doll. Not in this situation. You know that right?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe they do it differently around these parts; you know, because of the small community and whatnot?"

"Yeah, no. I don't think that's why. Ooh! Ooh! Did he give you his work number or personal number? He gave me his work cell number but I bet he gave you his personal one!" Andrea said as she bounced up and down on her sofa out of excitement.

"Calm down!" Michonne laughed. "I doubt that he gave me his personal number."

"Nah, he did. I just know it! Anyways, we'll compare numbers tomorrow but the more important question is: are you gonna call him?"

"I guess. I mean, if I need to..."

"Hon, trust me; you need to! He's into you."

"Gosh, Andrea. You know I love you, but you're reading way too far into it. He's just a nice guy..."

"With a cute butt..."

"Who's just doing his job."

Now Andrea laughed.

"He didn't really need to come back to the school and make sure you got home safely…"

"Ah, yeah he did because you'd have pestered him otherwise…"

"Rolling my eyes again. He likes you. And if you weren't such a stickler for propriety, you'd be all over that…"

"Andrea, are you sayin' I'm a prude?" Asked Michonne.

"Maybe just a little. No, no! What I'm saying is you're…You're very modest…"

"I just have standards and hitting on the single father of one of our students isn't usually in my operator's manual…"

"I know, I know. But come on! At least admit he's hot!"

"Okay. He's an attractive guy..."

"Raising that darling child all on his own..."

"Yep," agreed Michonne as she nodded her head.

"Wearing that uniform like nobody's business..."

"That's true..."

"So, are you interested?"

"I don't know. I don't think it's how you're making it out to be..."

"But if it were?"

 _Silence._

"Maybe I'd entertain the idea. But I barely know him. It's the first time I've spoken to him besides the casual _hello_ and _this weather is something else_ in the queue at the supermarket once in a blue moon," Michonne explained with a sigh.

"Well, you should call him. Ask if he wants to meet up. I know he'd like to see you again..."

Michonne laughed.

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I'm good at reading people, but honestly, it's all in the eyes. Dude was lookin' at you like you were a nice porterhouse steak…"

"I'm not a piece of meat, bitch," Michonne said jokingly.

"Bitch, I know! I just meant he looked at you like he wanted to eat you, if ya know what I mean," Andrea clarified.

"God, you're such a class act," said Michonne as she tried to supress more laughter.

"I know. But come on, send him a text and see if he wants to catch up," Andrea advised.

Michonne sighed at her friend's persistence.

"I'll see him next week at the expo," she finally said.

"What? He said he was busy that week."

"No, he told me he could be there when I asked, seeing as no one from the Sheriff's Department got back to me..."

"Girl! He changed his mind for you! I put it to him and he brushed it off. Oh my goodness, you are sooooo in there! Ohh, Eugene's here, I gotta go. I shall see you tomorrow. Love ya."

"Love you too."

With that Andrea ended their call and Michonne felt her stomach flutter.

xXxXx

The next day Michonne placed the stack of books in her cubbyhole and made her way to her office. She did not have to teach a class until after recess so decided she would take the time to finish organizing and finalizing the Expo. She still needed some paperwork from guests completed; namely forms to ensure she had the authority to publish any photographs taken on the day and that covered the guests if an emergency or incident occurred. It was her least favourite part of arranging events; the mountains of paperwork.

She sighed as she flopped down at her desk and looked over her things-to-do checklist. Michonne smiled when she noticed that the list was much shorter than it was at the start of the week; now that it was Thursday, she had many more items checked off. She picked up her pen and added another item to her list of what needed doing: _Rick Grimes, Sheriff's Dept._

Michonne's cell phone started to vibrate so she retrieved and answered it; it was one of the other guests confirming they would be able to make it to the Expo. She ended the call, checked that item from her list and then looked at what she had written down last.

 _I may as well call him,_ she reasoned.

She searched her contacts until she came across his name; she looked down at her screen, took a deep breath, shook her head for being silly and then called Rick Grimes. After several rings, someone answered at the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi. This is Michonne Harris from the high school, I'm looking for Rick Grimes," she stated, furrowing her brow and thinking it did not sound like the Deputy who had answered.

"Oh, okay. This is his son Caarl, he just went into the drug store. Is that you, Miss Harris?" said Carl.

"Hi Carl, yes it is…"

"Oh, I'm not playin' hooky, I needed my asthma medication this morning and then my Dad's gonna drop me off…"

"It's fine, Carl. I'm not calling about that I just needed to speak with your dad…"

"He's here now…Dad, it's for you," Carl explained as he held the phone out for his father.

"Course it's for me, it's my phone. What did I tell you about answerin' it?" Rick said to his son quietly before asking: "Hello?"

"Hi Rick, it's Michonne Harris. How are you?" she asked with a smile.

Rick smiled now as Carl looked at him annoyed at being chided by his father while one of his teachers was most likely listening.

"Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm doin' fine. How are you? Everything okay?" Rick queried.

"Yeah. It's all good…"

"Good," he offered feeling relieved and not knowing exactly why.

"I was just calling about the Expo next week. I realize I didn't even give you the date or time or anything like that," she said.

"Yeah, I thought that too after I agreed to go and then I didn't have your number to check with you," he laughed.

"I was a little scattered yesterday, sorry about that…"

"No need to apologize. It's understandable," Rick said with a grin.

"Well, it's on next Wednesday and kicks off from eleven o'clock until school's out. Is that going to be okay for you?" Michonne asked hopefully.

"That's fine. I'll be there. What did you need me to bring?" Rick asked, mentally making a note to confirm with his superior and clear his calendar that day.

"Ah, just some of the Department's promotional material; pamphlets; those pull-up banners if you have any; recruitment material. If you've got any of those fun novelty giveaway type thingies, that would be great too. We'll be inside the gym. You'll have space to set up a banner and a table will already be there for you."

"That sounds easy enough," Rick laughed.

"It is. Have you ever done anything like this before?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it's been a while," he offered.

"You'll be fine. Any fire department or police stalls are usually really popular at these events. The kids will love you," Michonne said.

"Hope so," he chuckled.

"Trust me, they will. Well, I have some paperwork for you to sign. I'll give it to Carl for you, if you like?"

Rick wanted to say he would stop by and pick it up himself, but there was nothing wrong with what Michonne had suggested; it was probably the easiest thing to do. Though he had to admit it would have been nice to see the woman with the beautiful smile again.

"Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks."

"Okay, fantastic. I'll see you next week," Michonne offered cheerfully.

"Great. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye."

Rick placed his cell phone back into the glove compartment and then looked at Carl who was staring at him.

"What?" he asked his son.

"Uh, I'm gonna be even more late now," the boy stated. "What was that all about? Did Miss Harris just ask you out on a date or something?"

"What are you talkin' about, Carl?" Rick said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Sounded like you two were planning a date," the boy said with a smirk.

"What do you know about dates, boy?" Rick laughed, hoping his son did not see his face turn red.

"I know plenty, old man," Carl laughed.

"So, are you going on a date? It's okay. I mean, you're way too old for her and she's out of your league, but whatevs. If she's not embarrassed to be seen with you then I'm not gonna be embarrassed by this whole thing as long as you two aren't makin' out in public or anything like that..."

"Carl, just stop while you're ahead. We're not goin' on a date. I'm gonna be at your school for that Expo thing next week and I'll be talkin' to all of your classmates and school buddies and girls who like you and girls who _you_ like; so what were you sayin' about not bein' embarrassed by me? Don't speak too soon, Sonny Boy," Rick said as he laughed and started the car.

xXxXx

It was Friday afternoon and a certain Deputy had found his way over to the local high school that his son attended. Rick smoothed his uniform down after removing his hat while he fumbled with the crisp sheets of paper in his hands. Leanne at the reception desk looked at her computer screen and then back up at the Deputy; she had checked Michonne's timetable, found where she was at that exact moment and smiled at Rick.

"She's still on class right now, Deputy. The session will be over in about ten minutes. Did you wanna wait to see her or just leave the paperwork with me?"

Rick checked his wristwatch and then offered the stout older woman with the kind face a nod of his head.

"I have some time, ma'am. I think I might like to wait," he said.

"Okay. I'll call her up over the PA shortly. Take a seat, please."

Rick nodded in her direction and offered her thanks before taking up a seat. He suddenly felt as if his stomach was doing little flips while he waited for the utterly intriguing and attractive teacher. He knew it would have made complete sense to give the documents to Carl to return, but something inside of Rick urged him to bring them to Michonne in person. He felt so drawn to her.

Rick had seen Michonne around town on occasion and had made an effort to say hello or make conversation with her about the weather; he really did not have any excuse to speak with her at length as they were not well acquainted and she did not teach any of his son's classes.

Rick, upon noticing her some time ago in the aisle of their local supermarket, thought that Michonne was quite good looking. If he was being completely honest, he thought she was positively stunning. She radiated an air of mystery and her presence demanded attention without her even realizing it. Her hips had an alluring sway and her smile was as bright as the hot Georgian sun.

xXxXx

"Rick, you didn't have to come all the way down here to drop these off," Michonne said with that same smile that he found so enticing.

"I was in the area, thought I'd come by," he offered, noticing that Leanne the reception lady was pretending to work but was really listening to their conversation as it was the third time she had stapled the same sheets of paper while eying them discreetly.

They went quiet a moment and then both decided to speak at the same time; Rick and Michonne both laughed coyly.

"Sorry, you go first," Rick offered.

"I was just saying it's great that we're getting so much support from local organizations, agribusiness and vendors for the Expo. I think it's important for locals to have a sense of pride for this town; particularly our young people," she said thoughtfully.

Rick nodded and tried to focus on what she was saying, but her eyes were just so beautiful and he felt like she was staring right into his soul. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, we're always glad to show our support; especially for the school. All of us guys at the Station went here. Hell, I got into my first fist fight over near that water fountain," Rick said with a laugh, and then immediately regretted saying it.

He hoped Michonne did not think he was some hot-head who was quick to use violence; he swallowed as Michonne raised her eyebrows at him.

"I wasn't a bad kid; I mean, I wasn't the best student, but I kept my nose clean, for the most part. Well, except for when I got into that fight with Timmy Slater. Oh, but that was _ages_ ago now. Not that I'm sayin' I'm old or anything. Please, feel free to jump in and stop my ramblin' at any time now," Rick offered with a nervous laugh.

Michonne smiled; she found him to be quite adorable. She was about to say something when a voice came over Rick's radio.

"Excuse me," he offered as he unclasped the radio from his belt and stepped away from Michonne.

Shortly after Rick walked back over to her.

"Sorry, I have to go. But it was nice seein' you again," he said with a smile.

"Likewise," Michonne offered with a smile.

"Have a good day," Rick said, still aware of Leanne's gaze.

"You too," Michonne said politely.

They shared a smile and Rick went to turn to leave but Michonne stepped forward and started to speak quietly.

"Oh, one more thing," she said softly. "I wanted to say before that I'm sure the fight wasn't your fault. You seem like a really good guy. You're way too sweet to be trouble."

Michonne then smiled shyly at Rick who felt his face grow warm at her flirting. He nodded and bid her farewell before practically dancing out to where he had left his partner Shane Walsh in the squad car.

"Why'd you radio me, asshole?" Rick said as he got into the driver's seat.

"What took so long? I need to take a dump, man. And why you got that dumbass smile on your face?" Shane asked.

Rick rolled his eyes but did not answer.

"Shit, son; that teacher you went to see, she's hot, ain't she? And wait…You sweet on her too, Grimes?" Shane queried as he sat up straighter in his seat.

Rick remained silent but was barely able to hide his smile.

* * *

A/N: Next instalment is the Careers Expo! More Richonne fluff to come…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, follows etc. I really do appreciate it and love hearing from you all. Some of our faves make an appearance in this instalment; as do some of our not-so-favourite people. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

The humming of the desk fan broke through the silence of the otherwise quiet afternoon; Michonne, with her drawer open, retrieved a handful of M&Ms and popped them into her mouth. She was staying back after school was out so that she could finish up some work that she had been neglecting since she had been tasked with organizing the Expo. Michonne could not wait until she was able to get home and unwind after a rather testing week.

She pushed the stack of papers into her bag, closed the drawer and moved to turn the fan off; she was startled to suddenly see someone standing in the doorway of her office. It was Jase Dixon.

"Jase, you scared me," she said to the teenager.

"Sorry, Miss Harris. I didn't mean to. I was just wonderin' if we could talk for a minute," he said.

Michonne sat back down and gestured for him to sit as well.

"Sure. What did you want to talk about?"

"It's about the Careers Expo next week. I wanted to know if you needed someone to be a helper on the day. I heard some of the others sayin' they were helpin' and they said to come and see you, so…"

Though all of the other student helpers had been meeting for a few weeks now and assisting Michonne in their spare time, she would not turn Jase away.

"I'd be delighted to have you help me, Jase. What a great idea," said Michonne enthusiastically.

She had waited for this particular student to show some sort of interest in his school work or the school community, so when he decided to approach her first, she was so very pleased. The teenager smiled shyly and averted his eyes.

"Thanks, Miss Harris," he said.

"I'm having a meeting with all of my helpers at lunchtime on Tuesday in the library, so come along then. We'll work out what everyone needs to be doing and where you can fit in. We're going for pizza after the Expo, make sure you get this signed by your father," she offered as she retrieved a permission slip and handed it to the teen.

"This is great, Jase. I'm so happy that you came to see me," Michonne said honestly causing her student to smile.

"I won't let you down," he offered.

xXxXx

"I hate being at school after school hours," said Andrea as she and Michonne set up yet another table in the gym, ready for the Expo the following morning.

"Andrea, you're a school teacher…"

"Really? Oh my goodness, there goes my life," she replied sarcastically as Michonne shook her head.

"Seriously though," Andrea continued. "Doesn't it creep you out being here when school's out? That's why I never liked going to school dances."

The blonde woman said contemplatively.

"Really?" asked Michonne.

"Yeah. That and the fact that I always wound up with more than one date," she laughed.

Michonne looked at her friend questioningly.

"What can I say, I had an active social life!" Andrea explained to which both woman laughed loudly.

"Speaking of which, did you call Deputy Dreamy over the weekend or send him some nudes?" she joked.

"Actually, surprising as this may sound, I didn't call or text or sext that man at all," Michonne said good-humoredly.

"Gosh. You're no fun!" said Andrea as they stopped and looked at their handiwork.

"That should be enough tables," Michonne stated. "If we need anymore, the helpers can grab them."

Andrea nodded and said, "Don't forget to reserve the table closest to the bathroom for the Fire Department."

"I know, Sasha already texted me twice to remind me," Michonne said with a smile. "Besides, Fire and Sheriff's Department need the most space around them for foot traffic."

"So is Rick Grimes our friend now, because that's why Sasha gets to have her stall in a good spot with a lot of room; or is it because you want to get him away from the others so you can have him to yourself?" Andrea asked jokingly.

Michonne rolled her eyes.

"You're crazy! You know it's because of how popular their stalls are…"

"Yeah, Deputy Hot Stuff is gonna be very popular indeed!"

"Stop!" said Michonne.

"What are you gonna wear?" asked Andrea.

"What I normally wear to work," said Michonne.

"No! You've gotta spice it up a little," Andrea said animatedly. "Have you ever seen how the actors playing teachers in the pornos dress?"

Michonne's eyes went wide.

"What? Since when do you watch porn?" Michonne asked with her arms folded.

"Eugene and I were doing a little spicing up of our own…"

"Uh, I don't need to hear this…"

"I'm keeping it clean! So, we were watching this porn clip we downloaded one night, and it was one of those sexy teacher ones…"

"Sexy teacher?"

"Yeah, you know, where she's got her hair up in a bun or ponytail, has on glasses and six inch heels and her blouse is always unbuttoned too far,"

"Right, and this is what you want me to wear?" Michonne asked.

"Yes, minus the heels because there's no way we can be on our feet all day and wear fucking heels! Anyways, we were watching this porno and the sexy teacher was writing math equations on the board before dropping the chalk and bending over…"

"Okay, I get where this is going," said Michonne.

"Well, I don't get the appeal of it, so I asked Eugene what guys liked about the sexy teacher trope and he said it was the dominance of a woman in an authoritative position,"

Andrea nodded her head and smiled.

"Okay, that makes sense," said Michonne, entertaining the conversation.

"I asked him if he thought the clip was hot and what he liked best, and Michonne, if you were there you'd have laughed," said Andrea, laughing almost hysterically.

"What did he say?" Michonne queried.

"He said the hottest thing in the whole clip was the equations that the sexy teacher was writing were all correct!"

Now Michonne joined in the laughter with her friend.

"So, wear a too-tight blouse, short skirt and put your hair up; and maybe some glasses too so Rick can imagine you throwing them off, letting your hair down and…"

"Stop! I get it," said Michonne.

xXxXx

Michonne walked up the corridor until she reached the reception area of the school; Leanne was there early and offered the younger woman a polite smile.

Morning," Leanne said.

"Hi Leanne," she responded.

"Oh, you look nice today," the older woman said, taking in her appearance.

While Michonne did not dress inappropriately as Andrea recommended, she did however wear her hair in a ponytail, wore a tight skirt that came just above her knees and left the first few buttons of her blouse undone enough to see her silver _M_ pendant which hung from a silver chain. It was nothing revealing, but Michonne did feel confident and attractive. In honestly, she hoped that she looked appealing to a certain Sheriff's Deputy, though she would not admit it to Andrea.

She offered Leanne thanks and commented on her appearance favourably as well before explaining registration for the day. All vendors and guests had to sign-in at reception and were then to be directed to the gym.

"If anyone needs help, please call our student helpers on the PA," said Michonne as she handed over the clipboard with the registration log fixed to it.

Just then, someone came through the front door.

"Looks like your first one's here," said Leanne as she smiled at Rick Grimes.

He took off his hat, nodded to Michonne and then Leanne who watched the two of them amusedly.

"Mornin' ladies," he said with his eyes fixed on Michonne.

"Good morning, Rick," Michonne answered, "You're early."

"Yeah, I needed to see you," he said and Leanne almost knocked over her pen holder as she pretended not to be listening to them.

Rick and Michonne looked in her direction and then back at each other. Rick cleared his throat.

"I needed to see you because I've been assigned someone from the Academy who's gonna be shadowing me; is it alright if she tags along today and if so, can I grab the paperwork?"

Rick asked, knowing he could have easily called Michonne yesterday but opted to meet her face-to-face as he knew he might not have time to talk to her throughout the day.

She nodded.

"That's fine. I'll leave the paperwork with Leanne and just get her to complete it when you guys arrive," she offered with a smile.

Rick looked relieved.

"That's great, otherwise I would've had to cancel today, and I didn't want to do that to you," he explained; Leanne sat up straight in her chair.

"Or the kids," Rick added quickly.

Michonne smiled at him once more.

"It's no trouble at all," she replied. "I'm glad you didn't have to cancel on us."

They stood silent a moment.

"Rick, I have to run; but I'll see you later. We have an area reserved for you, so when you come back, see one of our student helpers and they'll show you where to set up," offered Michonne.

Rick beamed at her.

"Thanks, see you later."

xXxXx

The gym was abuzz with activity; there were stalls set out everywhere and the sound of chatter coming from all directions made it somewhat difficult to hear. Michonne, along with a number of other teachers, supervised the area, ensuring that the students were on their best behaviour. Students from the twelfth grade were the first to be allowed in to the gym; they had roughly one hour to visit with each stall, gather the information on the check-list as part of their assignments and talk to professionals about how the pathway to their careers began and where it led them.

Senior students usually had some idea of the area they were interested in, and would visit those stalls first then float around getting information for their classes. All up, Michonne had arranged for eighty-five vendors, departments and organizations to be in attendance. She had a variety of industries represented; agriculture; armed forces; medical; cosmetic; engineering and retail among others.

They were already twenty minutes into the Expo before Michonne made her way to the back wall of the gym near the bathrooms where the Fire Department, US Army and Sheriff's Department were situated. The lines were a lot longer than a few of the others as students were drawn to the people in uniform whom they felt had exciting careers.

Michonne stopped a moment near her friend Sasha, a firefighter, and listened to the types of questions that students were asking. She was happy that a number of the female students were asking about careers that were traditionally for men and still male dominated. Michonne placed a hand to one of the student's shoulders to get their attention and said of her friend: "Sasha's a hero, you know. She saves people's lives; I think you could be a hero too."

Her friend smiled as did the students and Michonne moved on to the next table, which was the Army. Two men, one wearing a badge that read Stookey and the other Ford. After speaking with them briefly, Michonne ascertained that Abraham Ford was a soldier and Bob Stookey was a medic; the students were mainly asking them if they had seen any action while deployed on tours overseas. Abraham spoke to them in animated fashion as he spoke of his experiences.

Finally, Michonne ambled over to where Rick and the trainee were set up; the young woman's name was Tara. She was closer in age to many of their students so Michonne thought that she had arrived at the perfect time to engage them and give them an idea of what it takes in law enforcement. Michonne stood and listened to the conversations that were being had there; Tara was excitedly explaining what her training at the Academy was like while Rick discretely glanced at the attractive teacher.

Michonne could feel Rick's eyes on her, but tried as hard as she could not to look at him while Tara was speaking. After a moment, she finally relented and locked eyes with the handsome police officer. Rick smiled almost shyly at her and she returned the smile in kind. While the students were enthralled by Tara's story, Michonne moved to the side of the table where Rick was.

"How's it going?" she asked.

Rick sat up straighter and nodded.

"So far so good. Glad Tara's here, she's been doin' most of the talkin'," he chuckled.

"Really? I hope you're not getting bored," she said.

"No way," said Rick. "I'm givin' away the freebies and doin' the fingerprint cards."

Rick held up a piece of rectangular cardboard that had five smaller rectangles of even size printed on to it. Written on the card was _King County Sheriff's Department_ and _In the event of an emergency call 911_.

At that moment, Rick saw an opportunity; he offered Michonne a charming grin before speaking.

"Hey, did you want me to fingerprint you? As a souvenir?" he asked with a playful gleam in his deep blue eyes.

Michonne, feeling playful herself, smiled and nodded.

"Sure," she answered eagerly. "Why not?"

Rick placed the card down on the table, opened the ink pad and then held his hand out for Michonne's. Her hand sat tentatively in his as they both felt a tingling sensation at the contact; Rick smiled and then spoke.

"We'll do your thumb first," as he guided her thumb to the ink pad and then to the card.

Michonne pressed down firmly and then repeated until all of the rectangles were filled with her prints. She looked down at her fingers which were marked with the dark ink and then back at Rick.

"Here," he said. "Let me help you with that."

He held his palm upwards and Michonne rested her hand in his once more; Rick then grabbed some wet wipes and proceeded to clean away the ink that stained her fingertips. She realized that she was holding her breath while he rubbed carefully and slowly. His touch was surprisingly gentle regardless of his obvious strength; the entire moment was very intimate and Michonne felt her extremities growing warm as Rick's eyes darted from her hand to her face.

She could have quite easily cleaned herself up, but allowed Rick to do it all the same; unknowingly craving the same contact with him as he craved from her.

"All done," Rick said with a smile.

"Thank you, Deputy," she said as she hesitantly drew her hand away from his.

They held each other's gaze.

"Don't mention it," he said huskily.

They remained silent as Rick handed the card over to Michonne; she offered him another smile and continued to stare.

"Hey, Miss Harris," asked Lily, one of the student helpers who was in charge of photography. "Can I get a picture of the two of you?"

Michonne looked at Rick.

"Is that okay, Deputy? It'll only be used in our newsletter and on our website," she said.

Rick was usually camera shy, but since it was Michonne who was asking; Michonne whom he felt an incredible attraction to, he agreed to it.

"Where'd you want us?" Rick asked the teenaged girl.

"Umm, by your banner will be good," she answered as Michonne shifted to stand in front of the banner and Rick stood beside her.

"Here?" asked Michonne as Lily focussed the camera lens.

"Um, squeeze in a little closer; I want to get only the banner as the backdrop because the color of the gym walls is ewwy," the girl replied and Rick chuckled.

The two adults edged closer together and their shoulders were now touching; while it was a very innocent photo opportunity, Rick was fully aware of their proximity and how he could smell the lavender in Michonne's hair. Lily looked at them through the lens once more.

"A little closer," she said. "Miss, you should stand in front of the Officer a bit. Like, get his shoulder behind you. Officer, maybe put your arm over Miss Harris."

Rick looked at Michonne and she nodded. She then shifted so that she was positioned slightly in front of Rick. He went to put his hand at her shoulder, but instead opted to press it tentatively to her waist; she did not flinch or bat his hand away, so he relaxed.

"Okay, that looks good," said Lily. "Aww, the two of you totally make a cute couple! Now smile."

Both Rick and Michonne smiled genuinely and brightly as the camera clicked two or three times.

xXxXx

The day was drawing to an end and most of the vendors and organization personnel were packing away their materials since the Expo had officially concluded. The school principal, Carol Peletier, thanked all of the visitors, staff and students; she also congratulated Michonne on a well-run Expo.

A few of the helpers had begun to clear the chairs away and Michonne glanced around the gym; her eyes fell on Rick Grimes once more, who was now stood talking to a blonde woman who Michonne recognized as a hair stylist from the salon. They were engrossed in conversation and the woman threw her head back when she laughed at something Rick said; she pressed a hand to his shoulder and gave it a playful nudge. Michonne, though uncomfortable, still watched their exchange and wondered why it was bothering her a little. When Rick's eyes locked with Michonne's, she looked away immediately at being caught staring at him.

"Ugh. Who's that?" came a voice from behind her; it was Andrea and she was witnessing the same display.

"I don't know, forgot her name," said Michonne.

"Okay, well are you gonna go and ask Officer Friend-with-Benefits out or what before Supercuts over there does?" asked Andrea.

"Goodness, Andrea," said Michonne as she faced her friend. "If I wanted to ask him out, I would…"

"Shhh, Rick's coming this way. Ask him to go to pizza tonight, and then text me with the gossip!" said Andrea as she rushed away.

"Hey, where's she off to in a hurry? I came to apologize about givin' her that ticket," Rick said; which was only half true. He wanted to talk to Michonne again.

They heard Andrea reprimand a student by saying: "Hey! No running in the gym!"

"It's the gym, Miss; we always run! You can't do nothin' to stop us!" came a retort.

"Well, you have a valid point but…I'm an English teacher so no using double negatives in the gym!" and then Andrea was gone.

"As you can tell, she's weird," Michonne explained.

Rick chortled.

"So," he said.

"So," replied Miconne.

"Today was a good day?" he phrased it as a question.

"Yeah it was. I'm pleased with how everything turned out. And thanks again for coming along; it was great. The kids had fun. I had fun which is odd because it's a work thing which isn't usually meant to be fun but it's so good having other grown-ups around and now I'm just rambling," said Michonne, a little flustered.

Rick smiled at her.

"Thanks for havin' us," he offered.

They went quiet and then both spoke at the same time.

"Sorry. Go ahead," said Rick politely.

"I was just gonna say, I'm taking the student helpers for pizza as a thank you tonight and I wanted to know if you maybe wanted to join us?" Michonne asked hopefully.

"I'd love to," Rick started. "But…"

"A but; of course there's a but. Sorry, I shouldn't be askin' you to come along. That's silly of me…"

"Michonne," said Rick. "It's okay. Let me finish."

They shared a smile. She nodded.

"I can't go with y'all for pizza tonight, but I'm free on Saturday night if you wanted to go out somewhere and do somethin'. Just the two of us," said Rick, his stomach doing flips of anticipation.

Michonne failed to hold back a wide grin.

"That sounds great," she offered.

Rick let out a breath he was holding.

"Great," he smiled. "Ah, I have your number so I'll give you a call when I arrange somethin'."

"Fantastic," replied Michonne. "Can't wait."

"Alright, well we're gonna head off so I'll be seein' you soon," said Rick.

Michonne watched him walk to the exit; before Rick stepped out of the door, he turned to look back at her. He put his hat on his head, dipped it and then gave Michonne a wide smile.

* * *

A/N: More to come!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the wait; it's finally time for their date. Enjoy!

* * *

The ticking of the large, circular clock on the wall of Michonne's classroom seemed louder when her students were quiet and engrossed in the tasks they were meant to complete. It was Friday afternoon and Michonne's last class of the day; she often used this time to assign her students a reflective writing task. It was a way for them to debrief after a long week at school, and to afford Michonne a restful, quiet end-of-day session with them. She also took part in the reflective writing as everyone kept a journal on what they were feeling, thinking, disappointed with and looking forward to on the weekend and in the following week; they used the last ten minutes of the class to share.

Michonne stared down at her page and smiled as her eyes skimmed over the headings she jotted down neatly. She was feeling happy and relieved that the Career Expo went well; she was disappointed that Jase Dixon did not show up at school that day, and any days since then; and she was looking forward to going late night shopping in the city with Andrea after school. What Michonne left out of her entry was that she was also very much looking forward to her date with Rick Grimes on Saturday night. She would have felt too much like a teenager if she had written that down. She shook her head and then glanced around the classroom once more. Some students had placed their pens down which meant they were finished; others looked like they were concentrating really hard still.

"We've got five more minutes, guys," Michonne called out as she stood up. "Those who are finished, start a list of things that you found difficult to deal with this week. I'll show an example on the board; this week I found it difficult to manage so many different parts of the Expo I organized."

She wrote her example on the board and then started to pace up the aisles, checking that her students were doing what they were supposed to do.

"Okay," she said. "You all should be just about finished. Let's see what you've come up with. Any volunteers?"

The room remained silent save for a few grumbles here and there.

"Well, how about I start us off?" she asked no one in particular before returning to the desk and picking her book up; she took up a seat on her desktop.

"I was really happy this week that the Expo was a success; I felt a little disappointed that some students used that day to play hooky, but other than that I was pleased. Ah, what else? Oh, yes; I'm looking forward to the weekend," she said glancing around the room.

"Why, Miss? You got a hot date or something?" one of the girls in the back asked, causing the whole class to burst out in laughter.

"Settle down," Michonne instructed, her face growing warm. "I'm allowed to look forward to having a break from you lot."

"Yeah, but you never say it, Miss," another student piped up. "So who's the lucky fella?"

Others began to join in playfully teasing Michonne, who was one of their favourite teachers.

"That's enough. I will not be discussing my personal life with y'all, okay?" she said, barely able to contain a grin.

"That means it's true!" the first girl said and the commotion continued.

"It's good, Miss. You deserve to have some fun. It must be so boring bein' a teacher," said one.

"Are you dating another teacher?" asked another.

"If it don't work out with this guy, my dad's available," said an enthusiastic one. "He thinks you're really hot."

"I know who it should be, Miss. That policeman from the Expo. Oh my gosh you two look so cute together," said Lily who had taken Michonne's photograph with Rick.

Michonne felt flustered; she never usually let her classroom get out of hand, especially with her planned quiet time activities, but now she just could not control her students' enthusiasm. Spending so much time with them meant they were aware of any little change in her demeanour; the usually private Michonne, it seemed, had slipped up and given the teens too much information.

Just then, the bell rang to signal that it was the end of the school week; the boisterous students began packing away their materials and talking loudly. Michonne walked over to the door and stood in front of it until she finally got everyone's attention; she shushed them until everyone was quiet.

"We'll finish looking at _your_ reflections next week," she said with a smile. "Enjoy your weekend."

xXxXx

Michonne hurried down the corridor to meet Andrea in the reception area; she was earlier than her friend and only she and Leanne stood there.

"Glad it's Friday," said Leanne cheerfully as she shut down her computer and started to pack things into her purse.

"I hear ya," replied Michonne. "What have you got planned?"

"Not a whole lot. I thought I'd get some gardening done. Just get some work done around the house. Nothin' exciting at all. What about you? Any hot dates with eligible bachelors?" asked Leanne with a wide smile.

Michonne got the feeling that Leanne was referring to a certain Deputy; she really did not know how to mind her own business, but meant no harm.

"Uh, actually…"

"Hey there you are!" called Andrea as she approached the reception area. "I went to look for you in your office."

"I told you we were meeting here," Michonne reminded her friend.

"Shit. I forgot. Have you been waiting long?" asked Andrea.

"No. Leanne's been keepin' me company anyways," Michonne smiled.

"Oh," said Leanne. "Did y'all want to see a sneak-peek of next week's newsletter?"

Andrea sighed, thinking it was boring and nothing special; she also wondered why Leanne wanted to hold them up on a Friday afternoon to look at her handiwork, even though it was always impressive and highly necessary.

"I don't know if we've got the time," said Andrea. "We're off to the city for late night shopping tonight."

Leanne paid her no mind and started to rifle through some papers in her inbox tray.

"Michonne needs to find a fun, sexy new outfit for the weekend," Andrea added with a bright smile.

"Does this have anything to do with why she needs a new outfit?" Leanne asked with a smile of her own.

She held up a piece of paper that was covered with pictures; they were pictures from the Expo. Placed in the top right corner, where Leanne was pointing, was a very flattering picture of Michonne and a certain Deputy named Rick Grimes. Andrea's eyes grew wide as she stepped closer to reception desk and snapped her fingers, gesturing for Leanne to hand over the paper; she did so without fuss.

"Oh my goodness, Mich! You guys look so cute together!" she said excitedly.

Leanne nodded with enthusiasm.

"I thought the exact same thing when he first came in here and y'all were talkin'," the receptionist said.

Michonne felt a little flustered but could not hold back a smile; she could not think of anything to say.

"So," said Leanne. "Is he part of the reason you're off to get a new, sexy outfit?"

Michonne chortled.

"I'm not sayin'," she answered playfully.

Leanne raised an eyebrow.

"Not to worry, I'll find out soon enough; nothin' gets past me," she said laughingly. "But enjoy your weekend."

Michonne and Andrea both bid Leanne farewell and left.

xXxXx

The two best friends sat at neighbouring tables at the beauty parlour while they were receiving manicures on the warm Saturday afternoon; both opted for classic French tips.

"How are you feeling? Excited?" Andrea asked.

Michonne smiled.

"I am," she said in earnest. "As you know, it's actually been a little while since I've dated, so I'm nervous."

"Want some pointers?" asked Andrea.

"Nothing from those pornos you watch," Michonne joked.

"Never mind then," Andrea replied teasingly. "Seriously, you want some advice?"

Michonne nodded her head.

"Sure," she said. "Can't hurt."

"Don't be nervous and enjoy yourself; he's gonna love you, Mich," Andrea said warmly.

xXxXx

"I'm actually a little nervous about tonight," said Rick as he checked himself over in the mirror once more.

"Yeah, it'll be fine, Dad," said Carl as he sat on the end of Rick's bed and watched him. "Miss Harris is really nice."

"You sure you're okay about this? Me dating one of your teachers?" Rick asked again.

"I told you before, Dad; it's cool with me. Whatever makes you happy," the teen answered. "It's just one date, right?"

"Yeah, it's just one date," Rick replied.

"Well, make a good impression and remember your manners and you'll be okay," said the boy.

Rick nodded his head as he straightened his clothing.

…..

 _I should've offered to pick her up_ , thought Rick as he nervously waited out the front of one of two fancy restaurants in King County.

Shane had told him that women liked to arrive fashionably late; that made some sense, though the other things Shane had said about females seemed unlikely. Just as Rick checked his wristwatch for the third time, a sleek figure rounded the corner; the sound of her heels against the pavement grabbing his attention. It was Michonne; she greeted Rick with a wide smile as she neared him. He gave a small, shy wave in her direction; his smile as big as hers.

Her hair was pulled back in a bun, she wore a simple black dress that stopped just above her knees and matching heels. She looked elegant and beautiful and Rick uttered _wow_ under his breath.

"Hello," she smiled as she stopped in front of him.

"Evenin'," he replied. "You look great."

"Thank you," Michonne replied. "You certainly clean up well yourself."

They shared a shy moment before Rick opened the restaurant door and held it for Michonne; she smiled once more and stepped inside.

…..

"Can you check again?" Rick asked as his patience began to wear thin.

It was apparent that the restaurant had made a mistake with their reservation; their table had been booked a hour and a half later than Rick had wanted.

"I can but it's going to say the same thing," the young woman said. "Maybe you and your friend would like to wait in our bar area until your table is available."

Rick began to feel his calm demeanour slip away; he wanted the date to be perfect and now it was not going to plan. He turned to look at Michonne to gauge what she wanted to do; she shrugged as if to say that would not be so bad.

"You don't mind sittin' in a bar waitin'?" he asked of her.

"If we don't have any other choice," she said with a small, reassuring smile.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If I wanted to take you to a bar for our first date I wouldn't have worn a suit and tie and we'd have just went on down to Ernie's," Rick said.

"Well let's do that then," Michonne offered.

"What, go to Ernie's?" Rick asked for clarification.

"Sure. Why not?" said Michonne. "I've never been there, but I've heard they do a delicious steak."

"Okay then," Rick said with a grin.

…..

Rick finished off the food that Michonne could not as the two of them sat in the dimly lit bar that was named Ernie's, after the owner's great grandfather. Old school country music played on the juke box as a few couples danced and laughed; the place seemed very low key and everyone knew Rick.

The young red haired waitress came back to their table.

"How's everything over here?" she asked amicably.

"Just fine, thanks," said Rick.

"Can I get y'all somethin' else?" she said as she looked at Michonne and Rick with a smile.

"Did you want a drink?" Rick asked of Michonne.

"Sure. I'll have what you're having," she answered with a cheeky grin.

Rick smiled back at her.

"Two beers, please," he said.

"Okay, Rick. Won't be long," the young woman replied as she cleared their table.

"You come here often?" Michonne asked as she leaned on her elbows.

"Why'd you ask?" said Rick.

"Well, I know it ain't Cheers, but everyone knows your name," Michonne offered playfully.

Rick chortled.

"I get called here a lot on the weekends. Believe it or not, this place gets a lil' rowdy," Rick said as he gestured to the décor.

His favorite feature was the retractable chicken wire cage that protected the band from flying beer bottles.

"I think it's charming, in its own special way," Michonne laughed as the waitress returned with their drinks.

Two cold beers in two mason jars.

"This is a honky-tonk, isn't it?" asked Michonne.

"Yes, ma'am it is," Rick replied. "My apologies, again."

"Don't be sorry. I've never been to one before, it's actually been interesting tonight," said Michonne.

"So you're not completely disappointed in our date," said Rick.

"Not at all. It's been great," said Michonne as she drank her beer.

"Well the night ain't over yet," said Rick as he looked to the dancefloor with a gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, I think I need at least two more jars of beer before you get me up to dance," she laughed.

Rick wasted no time in getting the attention of the waitress and gestured that he would like two more drinks.

…..

 _I'm a fool, oh for you._

 _It may take a while but I'll prove it's true._

 _Well if it's lovin' you want well I've got it; if it's money you want then I'll get it._

 _I'll buy you tall, tall trees and all the waters in the seas._

 _I'm a fool, fool, fool for you._

Rick sang the lyrics to the upbeat song that blasted out of the speakers as he twirled Michonne around and around on the dancefloor. She had no idea what the songs were that were playing, but she and Rick danced to each one of them. She felt warm and safe with her body pressed against his as they moved together in time with the tempo. When Rick stared into her bright eyes and mouthed _I'm a fool, fool, fool for you_ Michonne almost believed him.

The song ended and they were still wrapped in each other's embrace, Rick staring into her eyes and trying to catch his breath. A slower song began to play and Michonne draped her arms over Rick's shoulders as she smiled at him. They did not begin to sway to the music like they had before as the first line of the song filled their ears.

 _I would bet my life, like I bet my heart that you were the one, baby…._

Suddenly overcome with the desire to be closer to Michonne, Rick leaned in slowly and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. The music, the people dancing next to them, and the atmosphere of the bar all faded away into oblivion as Michonne kissed him back.

* * *

A/N: Lyrics to songs by Alan Jackson – _Tall, Tall Trees_ and _Look at Me_


End file.
